Call for urgent action on safety after school stabbings

Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter

Senedd members called for urgent action to ensure safety in schools after a 14-year-old girl was found guilty of the attempted murder of two teachers and a pupil.

Adam Price raised warnings from trade unions of a “behaviour crisis” in Welsh schools following the stabbings at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford.

The former Plaid Cymru leader asked about the use of security guards and scanners in schools, and extending the powers of teachers to search pupils without consent.

Natasha Asghar, the Conservatives’ shadow education secretary, warned that violence in Welsh schools is becoming more and more frequent.

Calling for urgent action following the “horrific” incident in Carmarthenshire, she said: “This is an issue that’s much more widespread and deep rooted.

‘Lockdown’

“In recent weeks, we’ve seen schools in Pembrokeshire, Port Talbot, Caerphilly and my own patch of Newport placed on lockdown and only today South Wales Police issued a statement about a knife reportedly being found in a bag of a student at a school in Bridgend.

“Nobody, and I mean nobody, should be going into work with fears of being attacked and schools should be a safe place for all pupils, students and everyone else in between.”

Tom Giffard, a fellow Tory, said: “Unfortunately, this is becoming more and more prevalent. We saw just yesterday in Bryntirion school in Bridgend a pupil carrying a knife and the really, really tragic incident we saw on Monday in Sheffield where a young person lost their life.”

He cautioned that while measures such as security guards need to be considered, it is important not to overlook the root of the problem.

Lynne Neagle, Wales’ education secretary, clarified that schools can search pupils without consent and permanently exclude those caught carrying a weapon.

‘Terrible day’

During topical questions on February 5, Ms Neagle told the Senedd a summit will be held on behaviour and a toolkit will be developed to support leaders in schools.

“I am concerned about behaviour in schools,” she said. “We’re seeing more and more young people with increasing complexity, with additional learning needs, with mental health issues.

“And we’re also, as a result, seeing more challenges with behaviour and I do believe the situation has become worse since the pandemic.”

Ms Neagle explained that Estyn will carry out a thematic review of behaviour in Welsh schools, with the education inspectorate due to report in May.

She said: “Now that the trial is over … there will be a process that’s gone through to learn the wider lessons of what happened in the run up to that terrible day in Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.”